Psychological factors of men’s seeking professional psychological help

Abstract

Phenomenon of men’s seeking professional psychological help (PPH) has been widely studied in social and psychological research. However, psychological factors of men’s seeking PPH remain understudied. The current study included 156 males (M = 33,72; SD = 10,49) and 171 females (M = 32,33; SD = 10,51). The Big Five Inventory-2 and Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help scale were applied. The PPH was shown to be chosen by men demonstrating low levels of Energy (p = 0.019), and high levels of Negative Emotionality (p = 0.007), Anxiety (p = 0.038), Depression (p = 0.004), Open-Mindedness (p = 0.009), and Intellectual Curiosity (p = 0.003). Men’s choice of PPH was also related to the positive attitude toward seeking PPH (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found for other personality traits and their facets. The study results suggest that a certain extent of personality traits’ expression can represent a specific psychotherapeutic request. Directions for future research are discussed: it is recommended to increase the sample of PPH experienced individuals, as well as to include the measures of satisfaction and effectiveness of PPH to obtain more facets of the PPH experience.